Labour to force binding Commons vote on publishing economic assessments of different Brexit end states

Labour will force a binding vote in the House of Commons today requiring Ministers to publish the Government’s economic assessments of different Brexit end states.

The motion will use the same ancient, but effective, Parliamentary procedure that Labour successfully used to force the Government to release the Brexit impact assessments to the House of Commons’ Brexit Select Committee.

This procedure gives the House of Commons the power to require Ministers to release Government papers to Parliament. Unlike typical opposition day debates, the motion, if passed, will be binding on the Government.

Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, said:

“Once again Labour has been forced to use an archaic parliamentary process to make ministers do the right thing.

“People voted to leave the European Union in part to give Parliament control about its own future. That means giving MPs the information they need to scrutinise the Government’s approach to Brexit.

“Ministers cannot keep sidelining Parliament to hide the deep divisions within their own party. They should accept this motion and allow the country to have an informed debate about its relationship with Europe after Brexit.”